Tornado Weather Wisdom for Non-Natives?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I recently found myself driving a rental car in a strange town during a mid-west thunderstorm. Had the radio tuned to an AM regional station, trying to make sure there were no tornado warnings (hard to tell because I didn’t know the county names or other geographical references) and listened for sirens in the distance (there were none). Lots of trees around, so I could not see the horizon. The wind and rain got severe so I did pull over for a bit. But, I realized, I wasn’t sure what I should have done if there was a possibility of a tornado and since I will be doing occasional business related traveling in the Midwest, it seems wise to get educated. Yes, I have lived on the west coast all my life so I am relatively clueless except to know that you want a basement if it is available and an inside hallway with no windows if there is no basement. I guess sheltering in a bathroom/bathtub is another option when there is no basement? </p>

<p>If I am with clients or in a hotel, obviously I would follow the lead or recommendations of those around me. But, if I am in my car, driving through a strange area, what are my options? And would my response be different if I am in open country versus driving a car in a small, unfamiliar town? Where do visitors/travelers shelter if there is possibly an imminent threat of a tornado? I can’t imagine not wanting to stop somewhere if I heard tornado sirens…but what would those of you who live in the Midwest/tornado alley areas do?</p>

2

<p>Here’s one place with a lot of info.
[Tornado</a> Safety](<a href=“Tornado Safety”>Tornado Safety)</p>

<p>If I am awake and my weather radio goes off, I go to the basement. But if I am asleep, nothing wakes me. The only tornado that has actually touched down by us happened while I was sleeping. My neighbor called to see if we were okay, and we hadn’t even realized something had happened. Except that it was very dark (power was out) and there was a tree against our bedroom window (closest trees had been 50 feet away.)</p>

3

<p>If we are thinking about the same thing, that was some storm Greta! Impressive for even us natives. If you are driving in a wide open space and a tornado seems imminent (worst case scenario) here’s what FEMA suggests: </p>

<p>Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Be aware of the potential for flooding.</p>

<p>Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location.</p>

<p>Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter.</p>

<p>Watch out for flying debris. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries.</p>

<p>If you are driving in a town, do your best to pull over and find a sturdy, low building to take shelter in. Once inside, naturally, stay away from windows. </p>

<p>Again from FEMA: If there is no basement, go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level (closet, interior hallway) away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck. Do not open windows.</p>

4

<p>If I were driving and the weather started looking frightening, I’d probably just get to the nearest exit to wait it out. Most exits at least have a gas station or restaurant where you could shelter. Tornado warnings usually expire pretty quickly (within an hour or so). If there’s no exit nearby, the advice you got above is good.</p>

<p>The odds of actually driving into a tornado are very, very small, so my bigger concern would be getting caught in torrential rains that make visibility so bad that driving becomes dangerous…or the kind of flying debris that can come with strong storms, even ones that don’t spawn tornados. </p>

<p>Checking weather forecasts before you set out is a good practice, and so is making sure that you’re tuned to a local station on the radio as you’re driving so that you don’t have to hunt for one when the weather is getting bad. And pulling over BEFORE the weather is so crummy that you can’t see is always wise!</p>

<p>I’ve lived in the Midwest all my life without ever seeing a tornado. They’re scary but not as common as all the warnings/watches on the news would lead you to think.</p>

5

<p>Ditto the above. Another (mostly) lifelong tornado alley resident, here. Remember that although a tornado can happen at any time of year (like winter tornadoes in the South), they tend to have a “season”–(March-June)–those hot, late summer thunderstorms don’t usually produce a tornado in the Midwest.
I have been quite near some tornadoes and seen lots of property damage over the years, but I’ve never seen an actual active funnel cloud. I’ve driven through some scary storms and had to pull over a few times–but never had to get out of my vehicle to take shelter. Your chances of seeing or being in the path of one are quite small. (Driving a car is probably the riskiest thing most of us are doing. . .)</p>

<p>Checking the weather is almost a hobby in the Midwest–and that’s my best advice: Always check the weather before traveling and keep your radio on. If you can, keep a road atlas with you when driving (I know, nobody looks at maps anymore, but. . .) so you can see where the towns/counties are if you hear a warning. The reports are so specific today–they will say the direction/speed of the storm, what towns are in its path and exactly what time it is expected to hit which area–not like the old days. Also, when the sky gets that yellowish green color, that’s usually a bad sign!</p>

<p>I don’t worry about tornadoes–but I’m terrified of earthquakes.</p>

6

<p>

</p>

<p>One time, years ago, we were driving home in the middle of nowhere when the alert came on the radio with the sort of info you describe. We consulted the map and realized we’d probably be able to outrun it (it was heading for the interstate we were on, and if we got off there we’d likely be in the path) so that’s what we did. The roads were mostly clear, but quite a few truckers remained on the road heading into the region we were speeding to avoid.</p>

<p>Another time we heard funnel cloud alerts on the radio, by county, and since we were in the tri-state area near Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky we had no idea where the thing was. Keep your eyes on the sky while driving, and you should be able to steer clear of the worst clouds, or get off and take shelter.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I find this hard to believe, given the debris that flies around. They had video on TV taken by people who sheltered in the nook at the top corner of an overpass, and they were safe. The video showed the grass going flat to the left, then flat to the right…</p>

7

<p>I found myself outside, alone, and a mile from my apartment when the tornado sirens started blaring last night. A few minutes later the very clear, calm sky became full of unbelievable lightening, thunder, rain, and wind. I’m not from tornado country either and had no idea what was going on. The storm came on unbelievably quickly, and I didn’t even know what the sirens were for until after I got home. I saw one person gripping a fence to balance herself as she walked and a guy hanging onto the corner of his apartment building. The winds were immense, and I became nervous of the possibility of falling tree branches, so I dragged myself to the middle of the street to walk. Thankfully this particular street was closed to traffic! </p>

<p>I’m not sure about the underpass/bridge idea. People always hide there from storms, but when I was going to work this morning I noticed that there was a couple of feet of flooding in the underpass area and no flooding anywhere else. Even a couple of feet of moving water can carry a light car. </p>

<p>Good question, though. I’ll be following the responses.</p>

8

<p>I grew up in Ohio, and it’s strange to me that people from other areas aren’t used to tornadoes – we had tornado drills in school!</p>

<p>When I first started dating my now-H, we were at his parents’ house (in MA) and heard a tornado warning on the TV. I went into full Midwest mode: where is the flashlight, where is the portable radio, is there food in the basement, let’s move move move. He laughed at me – he thought the appropriate response was to go on the porch and see if the funnel cloud was visible. Not appropriate Midwest behavior!</p>

9

<p>I’m from NH and there was a bad tornado here two weeks ago-but a girl I grew up with in NH was driving with her family through Iowa 20 years ago, pulled over at a gas station and was killed by a tornado.</p>

10

<p>Good information everyone. Thanks. I think I will invest in a small, portable weather alert radio before my next trip. I’ll also take advantage of my AAA membership and load up on maps. Wasn’t sure what the locals would think if I stopped and asked for shelter, but I guess they would be accommodating if danger was imminent.</p>

<p>atomom, I don’t worry as much about earthquakes as I did when we lived in a house 20 feet from the top of a deep ravine in an area just recently identified as part of a fault complex. Our current home is nowhere near a ravine and I sleep better at night!</p>

11

<p>Greta -
Locals will ALWAYS help - never hesitate to ask.</p>

<p>If you are in the middle of nowhere - do exactly what the others have suggested. Get out of your car. </p>

<p>MOST tornados move to the northeast - but they can stall, back up - do about anything.</p>

<p>The best thing is to stay tuned to radio, check websites - local tv station websites are often the best - and avoid being in the area during such a time. NOAA weather radios are always great. </p>

<p>Many local media outlets also offer services where youc can sign up for text alerts, or email alerts on your blackberry, cell phone or email - for counties you will be in. When my son was at Scout camp - I signed up for that county - so I would know if he was in trouble. Not sure I could do much - but I did call the leaders at camp to make sure they knew about a severe thunder storm warning.</p>

<p>Hope that helps!</p>

12

<p>Grew up in Texas, where there are no basements, then moved to the Midwest, where I’ve been 24 years - one house without a basement, one house with. Still seems strange to me.</p>

<p>One thing I noticed about last night’s storm, was something familiar to me growing up along the Gulf Coast. Whenever we were being impacted by a tropical storm or hurricane (whether it was a direct hit or not), the wind would completely disappear, in an eerie sort of way (the calm before the storm). Last night, for a couple of hours, I kept looking out my windows because I was in such awe of how still it was outside. However, where we live, the damaging storms went to the south of us, by about 15 miles, so we weren’t effected (saw a good lightning show, though). </p>

<p>What probably scares me most about tornadoes are those that occur during the night. You can really only detect the tornadoes through radar, so spotters do no good. Also, our windows are usually closed at night (specifically when the AC is on), and I worry about not hearing the tornado sirens. </p>

<p>I think if you are driving in the Midwest, and an approaching storm seems dangerous, try to get somewhere where you can listen for the sirens; that might mean pulling off the road for a bit and cracking your car window. If you hear a tornado siren and you’re not sure where you are in relation to the warning, I’d call 911 or an non-emergency number (in the Chicago area we have 311) from my cell phone and ask them to tell you what to do. </p>

<p>And just a head’s up - while atomom is accurate about tornado ‘season’ being mostly in the spring and summer, don’t forget we had a tornado at the Illinois/Wisconsin state line… last January!</p>

<p>Corranged, I, too, fear more from falling branches during high winds, than being injured from a tornado. I definitely avoid large trees when we’re having high wind gusts.</p>

<p>As for earthquakes, we’re heading out to San Francisco next week, and I haven’t the slightest idea what to do if there were one.</p>